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Last August I visited SDC and noticed several things "out of theme" in the 1880's area of the park. I went on a weeklong rant here at SDCfans.com! Some of you thought I was nuts. Some of you didn't understand why I was going ape over some things you have come to accept. But I promise you, during the time Miss Mary Herschend ran the park, people would have been in serious trouble or just plain lost their jobs over breaking the theme in such a bold manner. If you check my Flickr site, you will see just a few examples of "breaks" in the 1880's theme that would not have been acceptable in Miss Mary's time. The photos were taken on opening day, last Thursday, March 17, 2011. I present the photos in a humorous manner...with some commentary below the photos. Hit the enlarge icon on the Flickr site, take a good look at the photos, and read the captions. You'll see what I mean when I say "NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME! Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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Haha, nice album Junior. Only some of the things actually bother me though. I look past all the fans, as they provide relief on a hot summer's day. I also look past the garage doors and the modern soda machines and vendors. However, the TV really bothers me, as I feel that is a major major breaking of the theme. The toys in the Hospitality House and the fence that looks like it is about to fall over also bother me. It just looks bad, as I know SDC could do better if they just tried harder on some things.
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At least they purchased coolers to blend with a natural color scheme. More unsightly ones have been used in the past several years.
The fans are still at least of a color that blends in, but modern heaters, telephones, and computer monitors at the registers are not always installed with the same thinking.
The refreshments in refrigerated coolers are recessed into the walls and not sticking out like in most parks.
I hate the airbrush and body art stands, and everyone knows what I think about the confounded basketballs. I'm just waiting for the tattoo/piercing stands to become the popular thing.
There is really no excuse for the t-posts in the garden when wooden posts are so readily available.
It used to be that SDC took a more "Disney" approach and didn't allow visitors to see outside the park (parking lots, etc.).
Oh, Junior! I have walked through the park with a very critical eye since my childhood. I really think all of these things could be covered and disguised much better than they are while still allowing for the modern convenience. I've always thought this could be done with relative little cost, say during a year when a major addition is not being planned. I'd love to see HFE really make a push to make this park into one unlike all others and not merely do things out of expediency. You and I should be the ones in charge of going through with a fine-toothed comb and making a list of thematic violations to present for changes.
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Call me crazy, but I think it would be a fun job to theme items to be placed in the park to not seem out of place.
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One thing I saw that I did not take a photo of...in one shop, a clerk was walking around talking to someone on a wireless phone. There was no one in the shop until I came in, but, she continued the conversation on the phone while walking around the merchandise. Sorry, NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME! :)
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That's what I've thought for a long time, RD. And you would be perfect for that job with your ability to carry through with your artistic vision. I always see it in my mind, but I can't execute it. Junior and I will feed you the list and offer suggestions, and you can engineer the theming. See how easy it is to be TPTB! We could be TPTB in a heartbeat.
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You gotta have the fans.
The park was not open in early spring back in the old days so you didn't see the parking lot.
The fence around the garden is not excusable, that could be well done even if they did have to use wire fencing. The rubber toys are terrible.
Water coolers could be hidden.
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Still, the fans could be in theme with some creativity.
As for the rubber toys, that area of the HH has always been the cheap, plastic tourist toys (I dare say, even during MMT) - a last effort to get everybody's pocket change.
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that area of the HH has always been the cheap, plastic tourist toys (I dare say, even during MMT) - a last effort to get everybody's pocket change
Yes this may be true.
But the toys in the toystore are an abomination " . "
al least I think so
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I absolutely agree. Since the toy store moved to GG, the toys have been questionable. I can't imagine people actually buy toys in there, since the same things are sold in any WalMart, Target, Toys R Us, or mall in the country. There are plenty of toy companies, selling through catalogs, that produce the type of toys that should be sold at SDC.
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Nothing like a wall of stuffed animals and beanie babiesto say 19th century. Anyone know what the "build a bear" setup at HDH is like?
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At least the new bear thing is a "craft" of sorts. Hopefully there are some exclusive SDC bears planned.
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Anyone know what the "build a bear" setup at HDH is like?
I went into the store on Sunday and thought it was very nicely done and it fit into the immediate area. Please remember that this is a kids area with a kids theme.
They had bears you stuff and they also had some of the TY bears in there with SDC printed on them.
Frankly its not in theme but I wasnt as turned off as I was in the regular toy store.
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If people don't buy that junk, then they will stop selling it! BOYCOTT BOYCOTT. No not really, in all reality people more than likely ARE buying these things, which are spurring the introduction of more and more anachronisms in the stores. I freaked out as a kid when my sister-StLphotoGal- purchased an Edgar Allan Poe anthology at the book store because in my mind "you can get that anywhere, and you came to SDC to buy that... out of all of the things you could have bought" It was in no way out of time period for the park, at all, and I was glad later that she purchased something she wanted, and was interested in, It just wasn't my choice.
I would think very differently today if there was, on that same shelf, the "Wimpy Kid" series, or "Twilight" books or Mumsket on the shelves. (only kidding HB!) I would think that they would keep most shops period correct, society has changed I guess...
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People who don't remember or never visited the park years ago will accept almost anything they see, because...well, they don't know any better! (Kinda sorta joking here.) You know what I mean. In the photos I posted, the modern fans are accepted by todays crowd, but in the old days, the park might have built a covered walkway with ceiling fans. Yes, ceiling fans are a modern thing, too, but if they blend into the background, you won't notice them as much, and still, the air will circulate and people will be cooler. Check out the ceiling fans in the Mill, for instance...yeah, they are there in the big dining area with the magic table. At the diving bell, we had three large "blower" fans that circulated air conditioning in the building, but the blowers were hidden in the ceiling and a wooden grille was covering them. I gotta admit, the modern fan posted in the GE and in the Lost River line work, do their job, make people comfortable...and it's much cheaper than building a covered walkway with the ceiling fans, which saves the park money. But sorry, NOT in Miss Mary's time! To me, unforgivable "breaks" in theme are the TV in the furniture shop, the electric heater in Two Sisters Jewelry, and the clerk in the shop talking on a wireless phone. Sorry, NOT in Miss Mary's time! Us Dugan boys were threatened with disciplinary measures if we carried our big plastic water cooler from the door of the rib house (where we filled it with ice and water each summer day) to the door of our break room (pictured in the photos I posted) which was a distance of probably less than 100 feet. If we carried it uncovered, it had better have been done prior to the rope drop on Main Street. If we filled the cooler after visitors were filtering through in the morning, we had a burlap cloth we covered it with for the short trip. If we didn't cover it with the burlap, dang, the bosses would skin us alive! Yep, the burlap covering didn't fool anybody, but, an ATTEMPT had been made to hide a "modern" device in the themed area of the park. At one point in the early '80's the entertainment directors ordered that the chrome microphone stands used at the gazebo, and other performance locations, be covered in a burlap covering too. It was downright silly, the entertainers hated it, but it was done for a season or two...again at least an ATTEMPT to "theme" something. :)
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Those types of efforts are appreciated by folks like us. There are probably some more creative ways to mask these things though.
Just curious - should they not sell the entertainment centers in the furniture store altogether? Or just leave the empty hole? What do you guys think?
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I'm sure they sell that type of furniture because somebody buys it. However, I think it would be more appropriate to sell the entertainment center and upolstered furniture in say the HH or Ozark Marketplace.
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I would think very differently today if there was, on that same shelf, the "Wimpy Kid" series, or "Twilight" books or Mumsket on the shelves. (only kidding HB!) I would think that they would keep most shops period correct, society has changed I guess...
Thanks for the mention. For anyone who doesn't know what he's talking about, I direct you to http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=1414.new#new . I would love my books to be sold at SDC, perhaps in the SDCFans store, but I understand that none of the three fit the SDC theme. If my book had been called MoMo, it could be sold in SDC. And for the record, I've started outlining a new novel tentatively titled Marmaros.
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Junior, I agree completely and have written to SDC - with no response
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Essentially, theme parks are shopping malls. The management does things like adding shows, rides and attractions...well, to attract people. What they want to do is sell. Sell tickets, sell merchandise, sell food and drinks. Management will do what that have to do to sell. Plain and simple. The management team today wants to pay attention to theme to the extent it will help them sell more stuff. SDC is still far above the average "amusement park." They offer a quality product. However, in the name of doing the job as inexpensively as possible, things like the space heater, vending buildings with fountain drink and frozen drink machines, "chain" products like Dippin' Dots, and a fan that's been spray painted brown are ways of doing business. In the past, it seems as if there was a higher quality to everything. Attention to detail was given. Chevys and Fords were built from thicker steel, furniture was built sturdier, tools were made to take a beating over years but still last, I mean, for Heaven's sake, the equipment in the heart of Hoover Dam, built in the 1930's, is still operating just fine with maintenance. Much of the quality and attention to detail is gone today in our world. But, NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME!
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I've been fighting this good fight since I've been old enough to understand the theme (and that was at a fairly young age - yes, I noticed.), Junior. Here are some shots from Thursday's visit:
The first one came out blurry (Never buy a Canon camera! This is the second one I've had, and they both had the same autofocus issue.). This shot is a simple fix - simply, use a cart or wagon instead of this plastic thing.
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/MrHoggatt/Silver%20Dollar%20City/IMG_2732.jpg)
The second shot is bothersome because no one even tried to mask these lockers. At least the new drink refrigerators and Icee machines are built into a shed-like building.
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/MrHoggatt/Silver%20Dollar%20City/IMG_2731.jpg)
And the third picture is my biggest disappointment. Why oh why are these ugly cardboard boxes just stacked there instead of being dumped into burlap bags or wooden bins.
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/MrHoggatt/Silver%20Dollar%20City/IMG_2730.jpg)
All of these (and many more) are easy and affordable fixes if someone cares enough to tackle them.
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I saw the storage lockers when I was there opening day, and by that time, I had shot so many photos of out of theme stuff, I was thinking to myself, "if I keep taking pictures like this, it's just going to bring me down into a depression." So I stopped taking shots, and concentrated on happy stuff, ignoring breaks in theme. The items in the cardboard boxes bother me, but the Cokes in the plastic racks bother me just as much if not even more. The plastic cooler next to the concession does too. I also noticed when meeting and greeting "citizens" nobody greeted me with a single "howdy." In the old days, that was the only acceptable way for us to greet guests. So, I'm sure that and many other things have changed over the years...but again, it was not like that IN MISS MARY'S TIME!
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I agree. It looks like this potato stand is nothing more than a concession stand for a community festival or town fair. Eva and Delilah's also often has raw ingredients sitting out in cardboard boxes.
This slide does not bother me as much, but could technically be covered or enclosed.
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/MrHoggatt/Silver%20Dollar%20City/IMG_2718.jpg)
This cooler is more irritating than the green one you posted earlier. I could accept the green one if I have to.
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii154/MrHoggatt/Silver%20Dollar%20City/IMG_2726.jpg)
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You know what else is out of theme. The pavement in the park and the modern day roller coasters.. But you know for some reason even with the coolers and trash cans they are still one of the best THEME parks out there! So yes there is flaws in the theming. Just because they don't theme every little thing doesn't mean you should bash on thier flaws. It's annoying.
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^I think the point isn't so much to bash flaws, but to point out the details that have separated the park from the "Ozark disneyland"-like atmosphere that it was once known for. People used to say they felt like they stepped back in time when they visited the park, and that was a big part of why so many people enjoyed the place and why there are still so many older die-hard fans on this site. That quality is what drove the park to be a huge success long before the coasters arrived and the park began openly billing itself as a theme park. The park itself used to be an experience, and now it's more of a medium from which to serve rides, attractions, and merchandise, and that's an interesting evolution to observe. Not that we have anything to seriously complain about, as you imply, but as loyal customers it's worth noting the things that really set the park apart for us.
I don't think it's worth it to keep pointing out every single flaw, as we can't pretend that the park has retained the same goals that it did when Mary Herschend was an influence, but it's interesting to see what has changed and to remember how different the experience used to be. I wish more people were still paying for the old-style experience, but these days people are paying for rides and shows and the park has to put their resources towards responding to that.
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Crash, we yearn for the effort to remain true to theme whenever possible. Fans tend to hold SDC to a higher standard that the amusement park crowd. We like to think the people in charge want the best for their little part of the Ozarks, and we do not want it to slip into the ways of a street fair. We have a passion for SDC and offer our comments in the tone of constructive criticism - not to bash.
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Ok I see now what you all are trying to say. I just read it the wrong way. I know that the igloo coolers and plastic trash cans are out of theme. I go to SDC about 10 time a year and the coolers and trash cans dont really bother me. I go to enjoy myself and ride the rides and I love the great detail the do put in. All the landscaping in the GE is gorgeous. The theming for wildfire has great detail with dr. Harris drawings every where and the machine in the middle of the queue. I love how every ride has a story. You don't get the same charm at Six Flags like you will get at SDC. so I guess my point is appreciate what they do because they do a bunch of theming.. Thousands of people go each day and They cannot please everyone.
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In the late 1960s, up through about the late 1980s, they billed the park as "Silver Dollar City, MO" There was a "Chamber of Commerce" not a publicity department, there was a "mayor" (Shad Heller), there was a city limits sign with a population of 28 posted on Indian Point Road. The land around the park was not developed. It appeared as if you were going back in time. After you passed the second set of doors at the Hospitality House, you were on the town square of a little village in the 1880s. Park employees were deemed "citizens," and there was a town marshall, deputy sheriff, undertaker, shopkeepers, and colorful citizens like the Hatfields, McCoys, Dugans, and the volunteer firemen, the prisoners at the flooded mine, and so on. I'm not crazy about the uncovered water coolers, the cardboard boxes, the racks of Coke bottles, a TV in the furniture shop, and so forth, because I come from that era when the employees were "citizens." I remember from 1970-1978 what it was like for me to visit there as a child and teen, and it was a wonderful fantasy, going back in time to a simple era where people seemed to really care for one another, where a person was judged by their character and hard work. Yes, it was a fantasy, but it was a fantasy shared with millions of park visitors over decades. The change in times, and management, has brought us to where we are today...SDC no longer billed as a town, but as a theme park. The quality and attention to detail that was strongly evident in years passed has slipped a bit. Younger folk who don't remember the old days are far more accepting of the way things are today because....THEY DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER...the way things are today is all they know. Again, all of us, ME INCLUDED, are OK with the great majority of things happening at the park today. We miss some of the things from the past, and we all understand time marches on. However, if you continue to accept these things we pointed out, over time you will see more and more things like it pop up around park, and then you will be saying goodbye to much more of what makes the expierence a superior one when compared to other theme parks.
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Paint the slide to look rusty just like the ducts/ pipes on the exterior of the FM. I am not sure if parents would think...ohh it is rusty My kids cannot do that, since logic would allow them to deduce that the park would NOT have kids sliding down rusty pipes...just plastic ones that looked rusty. Or just a less obtrusive color like brown or something.
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Call it a rabbit hole, and build a faux earthen structure to encase it. That could also insulate it from the heat.
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The plastic round green slide does not bother me at all. Seems strange, after I've harped on other theme breaks. :)
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i agree with you on non-theming items,
i however dont really notice it as much as many of you. But when i was there last weekend I too noticed, the cardboard boxes, the exposed pop cases, the yellow coolers, and it seemed like I saw more trash cans also.
If I notice these items, I know it has to be bothering you veterans.
There is no doubt these are all item that could easily be fixed/hidden. IF the PYB decided to.
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They sure could try to keep these things out of sight more than they do.
Wouldn't take much and if it was done well it would ADD to the theming of the area.
Ever been to Disney? they are wonderful at this.
There is a tern the Disney fans use : Declining By Degrees.
that is what is happening here
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I think what we are seeing are as the "old timers" retire and/or move on and leave the park, and the new help/citizens hire on, to replace them we are seeing less and less theme concern.
Nobodys fault, it is happening gradually and will continue to happen unless the city hires somebody to do just that. keep the theme in place.
If there isnt anybody showing the younger/newer help, the proper dos and donts, how will they know how to truly honor and protect the city and the ways the we love.
OK> done now.
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good words sanddunerider.
i agree with tryin' to keep the theme, but all this doesn't bother me. i've seen it happenin' in the last 5+ years, even the way they dress. it's just not the same. but it is 2011.... my woman says she'd rather see a trashcan around so trash dont end up somewhere else. we have noticed its really bad waiting in line for Powderkeg between the 2 buildings, & it used to be bad across the swingin' bridge.
we have said before - City is gettin' city'ized.
jmo..
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well i contacted the employment office at SDC the other day looking into the job fair so i can have a job at SDC summer of 2012. Since i will be 16 and concitered a new citizen compared to those of you who are more experianced, i will be counting on you to contact me and give me pointers as to the little things that can be done.You might have another inside source in Summer 2012.I hope i get a job it has been my dream since i was two years old.WOOHOO!!!
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i HAVE NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE BREAKS IN THEME ARE IN THE GE.sORRY MY CAPS LOCK WAS ON.
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Another break in theme, and i mentioned this on the 2011 review.. but fits with this topic also..
There was nobody greeting us when we got off the tram!
Not in Mary's time!!!
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Terry Sanders was there to greet us when we got off the Tram last year. That guy is amazing
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He is amazing.. But just remember just because you see him in 4 locations within 5 min of each other and he is a different Character each time.. He is still only one person.... Maybe :)
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Terry was at the trams to greet people on opening day with two other characters. I stopped by briefly to shake his hand and say hello as he was busy. Good fellow, talented, devoted to family and work. I helped to train him his first few days on the job in 1980. He wanted to work at SDC since he was a kid. After graduating from SMS in Springfield, he got a job at SDC and has been there every since.
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JUNIOR, BRACE YOURSELF
In the Woodcarvers Shop on the wall of carving books downstairs...
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/IMG_2237.jpg)
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Well i dont know all the details yet, but i had heard they were going to put in either another booth or replace the air paint artist by the saloon with a tatto artist of some kind.
Now i dont know if they are using permamnet ink, paint or pencils?
So there ya go!
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Thanks for the warning in big red letters! However, this was one of the things I did notice while making my park tour on opening day. As I mentioned in at the top of this thread, I had to actually pull back from taking out of theme pictures as it was starting to depress me. By the time I saw the tattoo book on the shelf, I'd switched into "I'm going to relax and have fun mode." A tattoo artist booth does not surprise me, but it is another let down. NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME! :)
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Ridiculous.
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Trashy
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Anachronism, probably not. The first permanent tattoo shop in new york city was set up in 1846 and began a tradition by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war. Samuel o’Reilly invented the electric tattooing machine in 1891. I went to art school, have tattoos, BUT I do not think that the book belongs with carving / drawing books. Is there really a market for a tattoo book at SDC? Sell that out on the strip somewhere, not in the Valley Rd. Carving Shop. Though it is period correct, it does not belong here.
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I would imagine the book has designs that could look great as relief carvings...but as you say, it has no place at SDC.
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Went to the saloon show today -- the third show of this season. Same show as last year but in the middle there is a number in which the cast puts Fabian into an computer chair on casters that you could buy at Walmart, Staples, or Target. The casts sings to him and spins him around. Couldn't they at least put him into one of those old wooden chairs on casters that bankers used to use at a desk?
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Ahhh, wouldn't have been allowed in Miss Mary's time! ;)
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Maybe the wooden chair was broken? :-\
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That is really cheap ???
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just one more item that is not themed,!
AND there are NO plans for a tattoo shop!
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WHAT??? NO Tattoo shop? Hooray! ;D ;D ;D
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Made my second trip of the year to SDC for Worldfest. I spotted a couple of more things at the Valley Merchantile that would not have been allowed in Miss Mary's time. See them at the Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juniordugan
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what no designer purses? and marie's special selection of jewelry? LOL
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One thing I saw that I did not take a photo of...in one shop, a clerk was walking around talking to someone on a wireless phone. There was no one in the shop until I came in, but, she continued the conversation on the phone while walking around the merchandise. Sorry, NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME! :)
I knew there was cell phone comment in this thread somewhere. Saturday morning at the beginning of the egg hunt, of the street troupe was giving instructions on how to participate in the egg hunt. Very nice, funny fellow had a pony tail, but I know people had long hair back then too, and with his overalls, boots and long john shirt underneath he looked very much the part. As soon as he was done talking an answering questions he turned around and headed towards the grandstand, reached in his overalls and whipped out his cell phone and started talking. I'm was very unimpressed at that point. The rest of the day I was walking around the park with "Miss Mary" glasses on and didn't like a lot of what I saw either.
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I noticed when i was there a couple of weeks ago, several employees on their cell phones. that does not look right.. ???
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Instead of texting they should be forced to morse code each other via telegraph, or have a telegram/ pony express for the workers delivering letters all day
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I like that rube! Maybe we can get junior to put that in the suggestion box.
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I really hate Cell Phones on park and according to protocol cell phones are supposed to be left in break rooms unless you are part of safety or management. They break theme so much and make guests feel like you are not approachable. If you see employees on their cell phones report them, this can be a major safety issue too.
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well that makes more sense. to leave them in the break room or their locker.. I should have realized phones were not "allowed" in the park. :D
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The phone issue has been going on for some time. I wrote a letter about it to the park and they responded that they were strictly forbidden with employees on park. I think that is patronising after what I have seen and what has been reported since the receipt of the letter.
I don't think it matters as much to these folks.
They don't know ( or don't have enough sense to care) where they come from.
It seems like the park has lost its leaders........
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Disappointing to see all these comments about employee cell phone use. The fellow in the street troupe especially is sad, using that phone openly on the town square. NOT IN MISS MARY'S TIME!
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absolutely, I think we all agree on that junior.
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We sure do
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I am a teacher, and I cannot just whip out a cell phone in the middle of the day. I really think that anyone at "work" should not be on a phone. It is unprofessional in whatever area you are in, not just a period correct theme park. I really think that the kids (and many 20 somethings) of today depend too much upon the instant technology at their fingertips. I recently got a "smart" phone against my will, and I do in fact use it, but not during my job!
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For basic use, "What are you doing tonight?", I agree, make sure you're not in public sight. However, for emergencies, ALL employees should have one tucked away. Not everybody has quick access to a walkie talkie. Case in point, a stroller got away from a non English speaking guest, and when the baby's head met a picnic table, an employee recognized me & asked me to call for help...
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okay so this kinda goes under what job would you want but also kinda in here so here goes
I wan to be an SDC Ninja Spy who goes around all secret like with fancy cameras taking pictures of "cell phone workers" and "Not in Miss Marys Time items" and report back to head quarters to get the above items fixed.
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ninja spy! great idea...
I am NOT a teacher, but firmly believe the kids need to leave the phones in the loccker from 1st bell to last bell.. I am sure it is hard enopugh teaching them something anyhow, without phone distractions. IMHO. ::)
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Morse Code...Ha! ; 2x!
For EMERGENCY use, cell phones are OK by employees on park. But don't contact Joe at American Plunge while he's loading guests in and out of the boats to tell him where the kegger is tonight. Don't call Sally at Cowboy Jepp's while she's working the cash regsiter to ask her if she wants to go to dinner tonight.
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rube?? ???? ???
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something wrong with my puter,.. your posts are not showing up properly...LOL
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Yes very educational Parson, and if they are good boy and girl scouts like I was, they would learn morse code...but there seems to be apps for everything, and they will use a shortcut wherever possible. I do a big industrial revolution unit each year and have a telegraph machine on my desk! I make the kids send and receive a message to me in order to get their credit!
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.. / .-- --- -. -.. . .-. / .... --- .-- / -- .- -. -.-- / .--. . --- .--. .-.. . / ..-. .. --. ..- .-. . -.. / - .... .. ... / --- ..- -
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As a third generation KCS railroader, I could throw you for a loop by using RR Morse, instead of international. ;) Dad and Granddad were both RR telegraphers.
There was a lot of double entendre on the railroad wires.
-.- -. .- was a favorite, which was officially "Keep Me Advised". "KMA", in response to bad news, means the same thing now that it mean from the 20s to the 50s. ;D
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ok.ok. somebody need a SDC fix!! this is getting out of control.. LOL
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http://morsecode.scphillips.com/jtranslator.html
::)
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- .... .- -. -.- ... / --- -.- .. . .-.-.- / .-- . / .-. . .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / .... .- ...- . / - --- --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / - .. -- . / --- -. / --- ..- .-. / .... .- -. -.. ... .-.-.- --..--
Hope this is right! ;D
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.. / -.- -. --- .-- / .. - .----. ... / -.-. .... . .- - .. -. --. --..-- / -... ..- - / .. / ..-. .. --. ..- .-. . -.. / - .... . .-. . / .-- .- ... / .--. .-. --- -... .- -... .-.. -.-- / .- / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - --- .-. / --- -. .-.. .. -. .
Yeah it was good
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How dare you say that! no not rreally folks, if you cannot read it then...
Dah-dah Di-dah Dah-di-dah-dah Dah-di-di-dit Dit/ Dah-di-dah-dah Dah-dah-dah Di-di-dah/ Di-di-dit Di-di-di-dit Dah-dah-dah Di-di-dah Di-dah-di-dit Dah-di-dit/ Di-dah-di-dit Dit Di-dah Di-dah-dit Dah-dit Dah-di-dah-di-dah-dah.
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.-. ..- -... . --..-- / .-.. --- --- -.- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / ... - .- .-. - . -.. --..--
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-.-- --- ..- / .--. . --- .--. .-.. . / .- .-. . / .- .-.. .-.. / -. ..- - ... ?
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-.-- --- ..- / .--. . --- .--. .-.. . / .- .-. . / .- .-.. .-.. / -. ..- - ... ?
Takes one to know one. ;D
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.--. .- .-. ... --- -. --..-- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-. .. --. .... - / .- ... / ..- ... ..- .- .-..
:D :D
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.--. .- .-. ... --- -. --..-- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-. .. --. .... - / .- ... / ..- ... ..- .- .-..
:D :D
You sound like my wife....she's always telling me You (think you) are always right! ;D
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Parson.. Wait a minute! this is supposed to be a friendly, fun family orientated forum.
NO reason to get NASTY!!!
LOL!~!!!
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Yes it is my classroom telegraph machine. It is a simple switch that activates a light as well as an audible sound (through the speaker) when the button is depressed.
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/227500_10150230976330948_500805947_8460630_1426816_n.jpg)
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... --- --..-- / - .... .- - ... / .... --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / -... . . -. / .--. --- ... - .. -. --. / --- -. / .... . .-. . ..--.. .-.-.- / -... ..- - / .... --- .-- / -.. --- / -.-- --- ..- / .... --- --- -.- / .. - / ..- .--. / - --- / - .... . / -.-. --- -- .--. ..- - . .-. ..--.. / .-.. --- .-..
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That was a good one sanddune! Now you got me thinking...how can I hook it up to the computer to read out what is typed...Hmm... I could use parts from an old key board, and have the button simply press a key on the keyboard, however there would be no consistancy between presses...I would almost need one buttin for - and another for . O'well I have more important things to worry about...back to the thread!
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All this dot and dash stuff has been a hoot. You guys are funny!
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well thanks junior! We're here all week!!
lol ;D
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Had a great trip last Sunday to SDC. While walking out I spotted this.
I consider the main street Hotel to be iconic. There are 2 light fixtures prominently displayed on the second floor of the building. This is one of them, infact this what both look like.
What do you think it would cost them to put a frosted hurricane shade on these 2 lights.
Click on the picture so it enlarges.
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That's a sticky situation you presented mhguy77. I mean now that incandescent light bulbs are being replaced by the fluorescent ones, Silver Dollar City has little choice, but to use them.
On the other hand, I would hate to see those light fixtures permanently "damaged" by frosting them.
It's a tough call! :)
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Personally, to me frosted glass is better than seeing these modern bulbs. I remember seeing a few bulbs like this on my last trip, too. Bums me out.
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They make "new" bulbs that look like regular round bulbs just for this reason. More to the point they can put hurricane chimney glass on top of this bulb to hide it. Its cheap and shows little caring not to try to hide this. It just seems like an easy fix.
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I agree with you....of course the irony being that the old style bulbs are not era appropriate either but we are used to them so don't mind them as much :-)
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The light bulb issue is a interesting topic. I agree with most of you that it would be more pleasing to see the classic incandescent light bulbs, but seeing as there wasn't a lot of light bulbs used in the Ozarks during the 1880s, really there isn't a strong argument for one over the other. Still i think SDC should go with a compromise and choose to use the fluorescent bulbs made to look like the classic incandescent when the bulb is exposed. Additionally, I hope they choose to use the fluorescent bulbs with a more yellow hue matching the warmer incandescent lighting.
This all said, I REALLY hope they don't start replacing the candle style light bulbs found in places like the flooded mine with these fluorescent bulbs. That would be a major "Not in Miss Mary's Time"
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Years ago they frosted the glass.....I think this is the cheap quick and very acceptable answer to this issue.
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Well over the weekend, while I was at the city. I noticed,
3 110 volt window ac units- no attempt to cover them or hide them....
I saw 4 5 gallon Gott plastic water coolers in the work area for the craftsmen out in the open, when they could have been hidden behind a tree, wall, box or something
As mentioned before the plastic coke crates and surplus food crates. Out in the wide open. This was in the morning so i know they were not "emptied" during the day.
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Has anyone tried contacting SDC about these theme issues? Be interesting to see what they say or do about it.
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They will probably say..."Well, THIS is NOT Miss Mary's Time!" :)
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They will probably say..."Well, THIS is NOT Miss Mary's Time!" :)
Agreed. Unfortunately water coolers, and light bulbs are not the primary agenda of management. Heck, they have a hard enough time trying to keep the actually attractions on theme.
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would you see park employees riding around the lots (and in Branson) in a SDC branded Toyota 4 Runner. The home of American Craftsmanship should be using American cars and trucks.
would you hear a teenager in a radio commercial for Moonlight Madness say "Oh My God!'" when talking about the Giant Swing. I was really surprised that even the current regime let this one through.
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Great point Larson I've never noticed that befor
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see? i have seen that before. and didnt like it either..ozark/hillbilly driving imports.. thats wrong..
AND another thing...............
OK... stepping up on soapbox
.nope! changed my mind.... not going to open that box of worms ::) ::)
stepping off soapbox..
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Granted it is something most would spout off and not think about the religious connotations, but I am sure like I was raised...this is not something that is often said. I can think of a handful of times it has been said by me in my life, I try not to, and usually I am successful. To me it is just a matter of principle that a company like HFEC and their vaues, this should have been caught.
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I've been going to SDC for as long as I can remember, and it's been home-away-from-home my entire life. When I invite friends for 1 day trips (I only live 3 hrs away), they would like to focus more on the rides because they don't understand the theming. I feel that if SDC would focus more on hiding modern things, like the exposed heaters and water coolers, my friends might understand a little more why SDC is more special than Six Flags. I keep telling them, in my opinion, if they go just for the rides, save your time and go to Six Flags which is only and hour away from where we live. I'm only 18, but even I can see how the modern stuff is taking away from the magic. Maybe it's because my grandmother always taught us about the old-fashioned way of the Ozarks, but I feel SDC can help keep her memory alive for me, because a lot of the things there remind me of her.
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welcome tiffany,
another problem with people appreciating the theme, Is so many people do come down for just 1 day at a time. So they are hurrying to do all the rides. or see all the shows or whatever,,,
You have to "stop and smell the roses" to really appreciate the park.
Your lucky enough to have spent many hours there and undertsand the park.. unfortunately there are many people young and old. that "just dont get it".
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Silver Dollar City speaks to many different people in many different ways. We all may love, and cherish the magic that makes Silver Dollar City what it is. Other people may see it as just a theme park. The bottom line is that people continue to visit Silver Dollar City, and experience it, and enjoy it based on what it has to offer each person individually.
That’s the great thing about Silver Dollar City. To some people it is all about the rides. To others it is all about the shows, or the crafts. Still yet, others go just for a peaceful, and relaxing day out. As long as Silver Dollar City continues to stay true to what it is, people from all over will come to experience it based on what speaks to them personally. :)
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Honestly, on the last two trips, I rode NO rides, and had a wonderful time. Due to some medical issues, my wife and I "sat out" this trips extreme elements. We usually ride a few things, dedicate a day to water rides, a day to shopping, and spread it out over 2-3 shorter visits. Friends of mine expect to treat it as if it were, what many of us do not see first, a theme park. I do not see that immediately (though I know it is one). I see my happy place, theme and history, festivals, artists, friends, family, amazing food, a cave, and I see rides.
This is what makes me return, knowing that at some point when the thrill rides cease to entertain me, I will have the SDC of my childhood, a place I can go, walk and enjoy as much as ever without ever entering a queue line, or ride.
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""""I see my happy place""" funny Rube! I like that! ;D
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Good post rube.
I have noticed that my girl & i have slowed down alil' at the park too. And we dont last as long as we used to. We still have our favorite places to just sit & enjoy the park & its scenery, & people watch. Some things may make us say "what the?!" But remembering the times of when i was a kid & growing up with the park makes all that go away. SDC, for us, will always be a place to get away from it all & forget everything.
We all know things have changed at the park, but my girl & i refuse to see those things. We go & just have fun. With all this heat & me having a small health issue, we havent made it down for a another trip with my daughter & her boyfriend yet. We'll get there though. Its gunna be between Aug. 8th & Sept. 16th, thats when our bring a friend tickets are good for. Ok, i'm anxious to go again & ramblin' on.... ::)
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I do believe I sense that "aura" thing happening in this thread!
Whenever I get back there, believe it or not, one of the things I am looking most forward to is testing out one of those rockers on the back porch of the Culinary school! I am looking forward to just breathing in the atmosphere and surroundings and moseying through the city REAL s-l-o-w! Eatin', walkin', sittin', kinda like treatin' the city like it's sheriff Andy Taylor's front porch! I will always hit FM and FITH, but looking forward to just relaxing there!
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When my wife was in the ER last week, I got on Youtube and went to my happy place. Is that wrong? ???
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I hardly ever ride the rides unless I'm with a friend who refuses to do anything but waste all day in a line. When I'm with my family, or by myself, I usually just walk around, shopping, watching shows, etc. I usually ALWAYS ride FITH whether I'm by myself or not. Last time I was there, I got to ride with the "Far Chief" who was inspecting the ride. That was kinda cool to go home and tell my friends. Only one cared, but it was cool to me!!
My rule on rides, I don't mind riding them if the line isn't more than 30 minutes long. Like FITH hardly ever has a super busy line while I'm there, takes 5 minutes to get in and ride. I only ride PowderKeg every once in a while, because the line always takes way longer than I would like it to.
So what I'm saying is, wasn't the original plan of SDC to be a small Ozark village? Then it just happened to turn into a theme park? I believe we should try to see it as that. After all, the main goal of America was to gain freedom, and everybody celebrates that everyday!
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So how did u pull off ridin with the far chief?
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So how did u pull off ridin with the far chief?
I planned on riding by myself, and when I crossed over to put my sunglasses in the cubby, he sat down in the row I was in, then moved over to the seat closest to loading gates so I could ride next to him! ;D
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Awesome picture Tiffany!
That’s a very unique experience to ride with one of the top “firemen.” :)
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Love the shirt, Tiffany!
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Thanks! Matt Holliday is on the back! ;)
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okiebluegrass that's funny that you should say that about your "happy place". My mom has been in ICU since June. Oftentimes, I will sit in the waiting room with my computer and go to my "happy place" doing the same thing as you. I look thru SDC family photos and websites such as this one, and I feel better. No, it's not wrong that you did that!! :)
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while at the city over the weekend something that i saw, that was very obvious was equipment and truck tires "footprints" in the asphalt.
They are very noticable in the upper square area.
I am guessing that the extreme heat the 5 or 6 weeks, and not cooling off at nite, the vehicles left tracks during regular maintenece.
Not a big deal. But VERY noticable! I have always seen a few tracks through out the city.. but this weekend seemed very extreme.
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love the new pic sanddune!!! very nice~!
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okiebluegrass that's funny that you should say that about your "happy place". My mom has been in ICU since June. Oftentimes, I will sit in the waiting room with my computer and go to my "happy place" doing the same thing as you. I look thru SDC family photos and websites such as this one, and I feel better. No, it's not wrong that you did that!! :)
Hope your Mom gets better, Gilligan.
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gilligan I am praying for your mom! hope she gets well soon!
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I have always seen a few tracks through out the city.. but this weekend seemed very extreme.
That's interesting. I have noticed the tracks before here, and there but they were rather isolated. I don't think they have done any new paving recently at the park, so it would be interesting to know if the hot summer heat was indeed the culprit.
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love the new pic sanddune!!! very nice~!
thanks trams, I stole it from ozark! (with his permission of course ;D)
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Last year, my friends and I were there on a really hot day, and we were leaving footprints in the walkway near Sullivan's Mill because it was so hot!
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Well, that’s one way to leave an impression Tina! ;)
Now, I will have to stop by Sullivan's Mill, and see if I can walk in your foot steps. ;D
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WOW!!!!! OZARK!! you need some sleep..... :o :o ;)
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<groan> really Ozark!!!!! :o :o :o :o
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Really? ::) You guys are a mess. :P
Anyway to avoid a larger thread derailment… um so yeah I agree those curly florescent light bulbs at the Ice Cream Parlor are definitely out of theme. Mhm. :)
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Thanks everyone for the well wishes and prayers you sent up for my mom - a complete stranger to you! She is improving daily. Wishing everyone a great holiday no matter what you are doing! :)
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I absolutely agree with the rant! lol
I have been saying this for YEARS!
I will say most of the things I listed specifically that I thought needed changing, SDC did eventually change.
When you visit the park often there is people out front taking names and email addresses, you will then be put in to a pool of people they survey. They give several surveys a year, asking about different things they want to do to the park and what your thoughts are. At the end, they ask for additional comments. I always specifically say my concerns (same as has been being stated here). And I have seen some changes come about.
For instance, for a while they were going with this 1950's/1960's theme. Even for the Echo Hollar show. And I complained about that several times! I told them I could go lots of places for that theme, including at the time they had opened their other theme park Celebration City. I went to SDC for the 1880's theme. Not that I don't like the 50's/60's I like them just fine, it's just not what I go to SDC for. Any way, two seasons later they came back with more "country ozark" style music.
Then another complaint I had was the Ye Old Stitchin' post taken out to put in ALL these modern shops (like the toy shop, I would love it if they would sell wooden made in America blocks, or toys there, not all that plastic junk that isn't even cheap so why spend money on it any way when you could get the same stuff cheaper elsewhere!) Any way, a season or so later they did add another sewing type shop. Not what Ye Old Stitchin' Post was but still better then the way they were going!
Any way, my point is, get on those survey things and specifically list your complaints. I really thought my cries would land on deaf ears, but surprisingly enough I did see some changes, when I specifically listed exactly what I didn't like and exactly what I wanted to see instead.
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oh and I almost forgot. I really raised a stink about the carousel being taken out. Besides the train it was probably one of the most original (theme correct) ride they had! I put that in my survey, but because that bothered me so much, I also emailed them, wrote to them from the site, AND called them on the phone! They brought it back! lol However, I must say ALL my communication with them over the carousel at first did not seem cared about at all. I got a lot of it was old and would cost too much money to fix. I was not buying that at all. For goodness sakes even small little malls, and city owned parks usually can keep at least the carousel up and running when they don't even have money budgets for rides almost at all. I was really upset by those answers, when they were spending money each year on brand new rides. And really rides from italy (that's what's in the new kids area, some of those rides came from italy) cost less then american made carousel's? I wasn't buying it!
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I love your passion Magnolia!
Sure, the “big wigs” in Georgia can make decisions about things, but it is the consumer who really controls the show. It’s all about the money in the business world. We pay our hard earned money on what we like, and we keep our money on what we don’t like.
Listening to customer’s suggestions, and complaints is a great way for a business to stay ahead of the curve. I am glad Silver Dollar City does listen, at least a little bit. :)
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Thanks. I was pleasantly surprised as well to tell you the truth.
I kept filling out those surveys and really figured no one was going to read the additional comments, but I figured what the hey they asked, and that was in my thoughts so I added them. To actually see them change things was quite a surprise. However, I may not of been the only one complaining I don't know.
As for the Carousel that upset me so much, because my DD is nearly 5 but very very tiny, they took it out when she was 3 and it's her favorite ride, there is hardly (even with the Grand Expo area) any other rides she is allowed on because of her size, same as my DD2, and I'm sure all my children to come, because my husband and I are small people and just seem to have small children. So one it's her favorite ride and she could literally be happy riding it a thousand times a day and two it left her with only like one or two other rides she was allowed on at all, and she didn't like them nearly as well, it was pretty upsetting. At first I thought hmm maybe it's just being repaired but when they said no and they weren't bringing it back, wow, I was really upset! lol The train ride was the only family ride left (which we all LOVE, if they ever take the robbing show out of it, believe me there would be a stink from me again! This is a family favorite for my WHOLE family we never miss taking the train ride, EVERY time we go, and we go often!). And maybe, just maybe three, I live by one of the biggest carousel manufacturers in the country (Chance) and even once was going to work for them, and as a child the carousel was also my favorite, I just didn't understand taking it out of the park. Especially if cost was a issue they closed Celebration City why not use that one they had over there? Any way...again point is if you have a suggestion or a complaint let them know. They may not always do it, but they have several times.
I know also after I talked to Chef Zadar about some of the foods, and that most of my family was diabetics, they also started having map things of where the sugar free stuff was located! Now if they would only have sugar free (diet) rootbeer at the Saloon and the Ice Cream shop on tap (not just the bottles) for rootbeer floats and such, that would make my day! I have told them this several times! lol It resulted in them at least adding the glass bottles of diet rootbeer to the shops! But, they are so expensive, I can bring my own in the stroller. lol I want it on tap so I can get it in my refill mugs.
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When I was there Sunday, I saw an air conditioner covered with strips of wood that made it blend in to the building it was attached to. Miss Mary would be proud
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Soon I'll have to "purge" some of the photos on my Flickr site, so if you want to gaze again at some of the "Not in Miss Mary's Time" photos, look at them soon!
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When I was there Sunday, I saw an air conditioner covered with strips of wood that made it blend in to the building it was attached to. Miss Mary would be proud
See, and that’s all it takes.
No one is expecting Silver Dollar City to be an authentic recreation of the 1880‘s. Simply by covering, or blending in a modern piece of equipment to give the illusion that it belongs in the 1880’s is all that Silver Dollar City has to do.
And Junior that would be swell! :)
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My photos as well are getting full, but I would hate having someone access the beginning of one of the games, or the threads, and not have the photos to give them those memories or the full understanding of the conversation. I will have to eventually downgrade, but by then the book might be available, and I can just replace the images with the ad for my SDC text huh?
Back to the convo...I love the idea of camoflauging the items if they in fact are needed, wether it is a wooden facade to hide something, or a stove front in front of a space heater...things can be done!
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I've been thinking about this for a couple of days: I was over by the Giant Swing last Friday and they were playing Christmas songs from Glee. At first, I was thinking, "no, it couldn't be" but then some of my Show Choir friends were saying "Hey! That's Glee!" I don't have anything against Glee Christmas songs, but at SDC, it didn't seem to fit. ???
And if they were trying to appeal to the teenage crowds, this was on a Friday when most teenagers are in school and it was mostly older people I saw at SDC that day.
I go to SDC to get away from pop music!
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your right tiffany, thats why i go to the city AND to branson..
to get away from "hustle and bustle and music" of the big city!
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You all make a lot of good points but luckily most of these things are minor. Silver Dollar City does their best to hide things but remember they are NOT a small park anymore! Its so easy to miss a few things. And most of the time, when noticed by management, it is hidden and or fixed. But when dealing with so many rides and buildings you're going to miss something. As far as employees with cell phones that is the employee not the park. They do their best but they can't be perfect. Like boxes of potatoes come on guys that's just being over picky! They are feeding a lot more people and sometimes its just not possible when you only have so much room. I agree I don't like the yellow water coolers but at the same time the employees have to have access to water and believe me most of them ARE hidden its just there are some places where there is no place to hide them. What I'm trying to say is SDC does an amazing job! And they do it with WAY less money than Disney! If something really bothers you at the park go and talk to management at the park they WILL speak with you! Don't just complain tell them what you would do to fix it. but considering the park sits on 100 acres these days a few breaks in theme isn't bad! ;)
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i love sdc and have no problem with the things you all mention.. i see them as minor things.. that being said when i return i will no doubt nit pick the way you all seem to.. makes me not even wanna go back..
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When we were in line for TNT, my friend noticed a yellow box on the wall. (I think it was first aid, or something like that.) He said, "You think they would make it look old fashioned."
So its not just the seasoned SDC veterans who are noticing things.
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thats a perfect example tiff.. if the newbies notice it, then you know it is out of place!!
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I can understand something first aid related being extremey visible. AED and First Aid kits should be out where people can find them when they need them, so I excuse that. There are just an aweful lot of theme issues that could be easily resolved if they took the time to do it like Miss Mary would have wanted
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It was my thinking that the point of this discussion was not to simply nit-pic at every little thing that slips the theme of the park, but rather to note the shift in the park's emphasis on the overall park environment/aurora and how it impacts the experience. It's now simply a fact that SDC is no longer trying to emulate a living history village, the question is where does this actually become a deal-breaker to those who grew up with the old SDC and where does it actually begin to affect how much people are paying to get into the park.
I've noted before that SDC never seemed to have too many problems drawing huge crowds in the past even with high entrance fees and a low number of actual rides. Now the park is filling up with rides and they're having to do all kinds of budget promotions to get the crowds to come back, but these crowds don't seem to be quite the same... So is the loss of the storied SDC ambiance a major factor in all of that? How many people do you hear harping on about the 'feeling' of the city these days, other than talking about the shade and tree cover?
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When these are gone, I'm gone.
1. saloon show
2. train ride/show - hobo junction gone
3. flooded mine - changed, but i can live with if for now
4. rain maker - gone
5. street shows - almost gone
6. fire in the hole
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You have seen my posts here about this topic...I feel very strongly about some of these things. I don't like the two broken down Coke refrigerators standing out along the wall of the barn along the railroad tracks (where the international food is being served for Worldfest). I have to say I saw many, many "Not in Miss Mary's Time" theme issues on my opening day visit, but on my visit for Worldfest a couple of weeks ago, I hardly noticed any. I know times change and big fans along the pathways going into the rides are nice, and that many people enjoy the concessions where they can make their own slush, and the concessions where they can pull a Coke out of a glass door refrigerator, but I'm still against those things. In my time on park many years ago it was DRILLED into us to "pay attention to detail." I bought into the fantasy that I was a "citizen" rather than an employee, and when I entered the guest area of the park in costume (not a uniform) I did my best to be a citizen of the 1880's. Sorry, I just don't like the exposed employee water coolers, the electric heater in the wall of Two Sisters Jewelry, the metal roll up garage door on the barn adjacent to RiverBlast (formerly called the wagonworks barn) and the cheap toys sold on park during Kidsfest. Don't get me started on the basketball game at GE, the airbrush artist, even the concession that sells Cardinals Baseball stuff. With a shorter winter season it is impossible to build a rollercoaster when no guests are on park, so everytime you ride the train you get to see construction equipment, trucks, backhoes, and so on. There is no way around it. All that said, NONE of the things I have mentioned would have been allowed in Miss Mary's Time. People would have been reprimanded, people would have been fired. SDC still has more flavor and atmosphere than many other parks, and is pretty good at doing what it takes to satisfy guests. If you did not experience SDC in the 60s, 70s, 80s or first half of the 90s, you probably don't get upset very much by the looser theme today. Shave is right, the park has moved away from being a living history or "Colonial Williamsburg of the Ozarks." Since people are not as interested in arts and crafts as they were 50 years ago, there are not nearly as many A&C's on park today. It's a theme park where they have got to cut costs and sell things in shops that people will buy, or they won't be there at all anymore. Designer clothes and assessories in the Valley Merchantile, and Dugan's being a ladies dress and costume jewelry shop...NOT in Miss Mary's Time! But that stuff sells today, so it is there. The management does respond to your feelings about all this stuff...when I was in Sullvan's Mill on opening day I heard the employees say they were happy to see many more "Made in USA" items in their shop, so if you are one of those vocal about that topic, keep talking to the right people, because it's working! :)
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..I feel very strongly about some of these things. I don't like the two broken down Coke refrigerators standing out along the wall of the barn along the railroad tracks (where the international food is being served for Worldfest). I have to say I saw many, many "Not in Miss Mary's Time" theme issues on my opening day visit, but on my visit for Worldfest a couple of weeks ago, I hardly noticed any. I know times change and big fans along the pathways going into the rides are nice, and that many people enjoy the concessions where they can make their own slush, and the concessions where they can pull a Coke out of a glass door refrigerator, but I'm still against those things. (Junior)
AMEN TO THAT, JUNIOR!!
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I've often wondered what Miss Mary would have thought about more roller coaster and less crafts. Don't tell me "that's progress" because at Silver Dollar City is ain't.
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As a former living historian/interpreter with the National Park Service, this has been a very interesting thread to read, and a familiar topic. I worked for a decade with NPS doing small-arms and artillery demonstrations at the Civil War battlefield, and NPS was also very concerned about historical accuracy and policing historically inaccurate items at events. I was also reenacting in my spare time, and there was a very big difference between the two. (If you're wondering, a "reenactment" is a mock combat scenario, never done on NPS sites, while "living history" is usually some sort of demonstration of a period weapon, etc. These are NPS-speak.)
Being a historian by vocation (and avocation) I have to watch myself when our family goes to SDC. I have to remind myself that SDC is not a national park, but after reading this thread, it makes my heart my glad to see that at one time, there was a strong committment to standards similar to the ones we used in NPS.
Todd
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I was in the blacksmith shop today...a floor fan made of plastic in plain view, a heater unit in a wall completely modern, no theming. AHHHHHH! You have already read my postings on the water coolers and fans in the open at GE. The absolute crap sold in Fiddlesticks Toy Shop, the Hospitality House, and Ozark Marketplace, it makes my stomach churn. However, it sells, and making bucks is what is all about. But adhering to theme and quality today is not like it was all those years ago during Miss Mary's time. Progress? Well, you be the judge. I know, they do what they do to generate cash, and if guests don't complain about theming issues, nothing will change.
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We went to SDC today (the missus is a Mercy co-worker) and after reading this thread last week, I couldn't help but notice all of the non-period (in reenacting we would have said "farby") items in full view, as well as all of the modern items for sale, etc. Granted, with a four and two year-old, we spent most of the morning in the GE, and didn't even make it to the train, Flooded Mine, etc.
The ice cream parlor, though, was still very "period" to me, straight out of The Music Man. It made me wonder if SDC would ever want our Spanish-American War reenactment unit to come down and be the SDC National Guard company? ::)
T.
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This image speaks for itself. I mean what maintenance person in their right mind would do such a thing. The littlest effort here could've made the biggest difference. A small floor standing halogen light positioned behind an in-theme crate. Or even just making the effort to cover the feet and/or paint the stand camoflauge. Pitiful.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/791335/Theme%20Break%20SDC%207-2014.jpg)
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Yea. Those things are everywhere for moonlight madness. Even zip tied to parts of roller coasters. The park was not made to be a night time park. They would need to add a ton of themed lights to do this the rest of the year.
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This image speaks for itself. I mean what maintenance person in their right mind would do such a thing.
Whoa, chill out there bud. Like oklaSDCfan said, it's for Moonlight Madness to make the park safe for the nightime event. I can understand being displeased from the purist perspective, but you've got to watch the tone. There's a fairly distinct line between bitching and constructively pointing out things that would make the experience better.
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I didn't take it to be that far over the line, but I understand that you don't want the tone to go further. I've said more than once that I will not attend MM - and in the process will not take my family, including two children, during those hours. I don't even like to see these types of things during the day - printed neon signs announcing the late hours, etc. That light, as zsc100 said, could have easily been hidden with a well-vented box; at the very least, it could have been placed on the back side of a nearby tree.
But like I say, I understand the need to hold SDCFans to some boundaries. Stay diligent, zsc100. We all have to temper our tones from time to time.
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I think SDC does a great job of sticking to their themes, and probably the best of any park I've been to, especially considering the amount of period theming required for a park that big.
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I agree, the theming is great at SDC, but I feel it can't be compared to most theme parks easily b/c the theme is so consistently nostalgic at SDC. It's not like other theme parks where you jump into the queue line for ride A and your immersed into theme A, then you go jump in the queue line for ride B and now your in theme B. All of SDC (with slight exception of GE) is themed with a underlying nostalgic foundation, therefore that foundation cannot be broken around the park without being easily noticed by people who care about detail. I also believe the people who don't care as much about detail are still affected by these breaks in theme, just subconsciously. The more often they see it the more acceptable to them it becomes and the less likely they are to say anything or voice their concerns as time goes on. I forget where I read it (was in this forum) but someone, perhaps Junior said, "these types of concerns have to trickle down from management or they will continue to be lost" I've seen him say employees would "loose their job" or "get in trouble" for simple theme breaks back in "Miss Mary's Time", but I'm not sure that aggressive of action is even needed. If bottom level employees were constantly reminded in memos, meetings, etc. that they should be paying attention to these things that make SDC so unique and great I would like to believe they would put forth an effort to preserve that, ya know a sense of pride for being part of what makes SDC so awesome. We know this type of emphasis used to come from management from the stories we hear out of Junior. I hope this thread reaches some employees in management at SDC that can and have the power to make a direct impact. I don't believe there has to be any quantitative compromise in profit or resources, just instill a sense of obligation to all employees that theming is VERY important and is a BIG part of what makes SDC so unique.
Wait,,,,,,,,
Come to think of it I can put a quantitative price on this issue. Create a position at the park just like safety officer in current corporate structure,,,,,, we'll call it "Theme Officer". Salary: free admission, food and drinks to SDC every day. Job description: Issue violations in theming park wide. Give them a western sheriff themed costume, badge, gun, and all. I'll leave the rest of the job description up to SDCFan's imagination, but I'll go ahead and nominate Junior for this position :))
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Years ago, they actually had a person dedicated to being keeper of the theme. My guess is that job title no longer exists. Those too young to remember SDC of the 1960s thru mid to late 1980s will never really know how much has changed over the years. Still, the park does much better than others.
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The person that is the "theme officer" has worked at the park for 36+ years. She has a full plate and is constantly going over the park and WILL note what's not to theme, and do something about it,fyi
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Sounds like she might need a high-paid, part-time executive assistant. I volunteer to help her with her list.
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Hmmmmmm....so Sue Pratt still has the job? She was a GREAT street troupe member way back when.
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I had to count it up on my fingers but I have been going to SDC for 6 decades now and I have seen a lot of changes. The theme of SDC has always been the Missouri Ozarks of the 1880s. However, at the start in the early 1960s, the theme seemed to be more influenced by 1950s TV westerns than the local history. The early rides were all based on a western theme, such as the stage coach, the donkey pack train, and the steam powered train with an old west train robbery. The entertainment was old west style shootouts on Main Street. In fact, as a small boy in the early 1960s, I thought I had stumbled on to the real-world location of the western shows I watched on TV.
By the early 1970s, they seemed to be doing a lot better with the Ozarks theme. It was a showcase of tradition Ozark crafts, Ozark food, and real Ozark traditional music. It wasn’t perfect but it was unique. Most amusement parks then were just a collection of rides with very little theme. If anything, the average US amusement park had its roots in the world of the circus or Coney Island.
Silver Dollar City has grown up now. It’s not the small family-run park it used to be. It is a multiple hundred-million dollar a year corporation that has to work under all the government regulations, political correctness, and the constant threat of lawsuits from anyone looking for deep pockets. It is not just a vacation spot for locals anymore. SDC has visitors from all over the nation, and foreign countries too. Many are people that have no background or understanding of Ozark culture and history.
I am hoping that SDC planners will make an attempt to keep an Ozark theme. Personally, I’m not even insistent that they stay in the 1880s. If they wanted to develop a brand new area with a 1920s Ozark theme, I would be the first one there on opening day. After all, when SDC opened in 1960, the 1880s had only ended 70 years before. Today, the year 1924 was 90 years ago.
Imagine a 1920s Ozarks world: How about a 1920s Ozark version of Epcot’s Test-Track? You walk through the showroom of a 1920s Ford dealership full of Model Ts. You walk through the garage area and get into a Model T touring car. The car then takes off, driving through the woods, dodging trees and stumps, down a steep embankment, splash across a river, you dodge chickens and cows on the road, drive into a burning barn, then through a waterfall and into a cave, then out into the woods at night where Bigfoot runs along beside the car, and then you get shot at by angry moonshiners.
Or, how about a Ozark version of Epcot’s Soarin’ where you go flying in Rube Dugan’s new flying contraption. You go sailing over Ozarks forests where you can smell the woods, over Bald Knobs, past towering bluffs, over fields of running sheep or cows, and soar up a river until there is a towering waterfall up ahead. Then Junior Dugan struggles to gain altitude while you are sprayed in the face with mist from the falls. You barely clear the waterfall, soar over the fields while the skies darkens and turn stormy. Then you are flying directly into a tornado. It could be even better than Soarin’ if it was filmed in 3-D IMAX. (Maybe SDC should hire me as an SDC imaginer!)
Silver Dollar City is not perfect. However, I would much rather spend my leisure time at SDC than any Six Flags park or Worlds of Fun. To me, the most important thing for the future of SDC is that they keep the Ozark theme. Then I’ll keep coming back, year-after-year.
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Well stated. I would like it to stay in the 1880s, but would welcome a sister City such as this one, perhaps full of virtual attractions like you mention.
It's interesting to think of how the theme would be different if they had moved forward a year every year as they once proposed, keeping it exactly 100 years in the past. What would the park look like if now it portrayed 1914?
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Make Celebration City SDC 1920 ;D
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I rebuilt the whole park in my 1960 SDC idea - a weird parallel-type, Bizarro City that has traveled through time:
I have solved the dilemma. This came to me in a dream while I was riding the new "Route 66 Coaster" at Silver Dollar City (It was nothing to write home about, by the way.).
The Silver Dollar Line, in conjunction with Doc Harris Enterprises, announces the newly re-engineered "Time Train", an experience to take guests into Silver Dollar City during 1960. What will SDC look like in 1960? you ask. Well, lets see:
First, the train will travel through a "time tunnel" to transport visitors to the future (1960, a symbolic year). Once there, in an area away from the current park, we walk through the Hospitality House, which is now the Hospitality Arcade.
On the other side, the band stand (formerly the gazebo), rocks with popular music of the past decade (50's). The "square" now hosts classic car shows every weekend, with local car clubs showcasing their babies. The Main Street buildings have transformed through the years and now boast their new storefronts and signage, including lots of neon. Hannah's is still Hannahs, but now it's a rockin' soda fountain complete with jerks. Other shops reflect some changes. Costuming is also different now. The Mine and the Mill are now the Mine and Mill Pizza Parlor, Roller Rink, and Bowling Alley, in which guests may rent skates. A more current firetruck is on display on the other side of the square, along with a victory garden in the place of the old homestead.
Working counterclockwise through the condensed version of the park, we find a newer, hipper candy store. The Flooded Mine is now the Flooded Mine mini-golf (a pay-to-play attraction). ThuNderaTion is now the ThuNderaTion Raceway, where guests can drive period cars around a track.
Ice skating is offered at the cannery (a smaller version of the original), and the Grand Exposition has been replaced by a street carnival with the best rides from Celebration City filling the area, with the CC Carousel taking the place of the Wave Carousel. The carnival can even rotate its rides throughout the year so the experience continually changes.
The Lost River and Geyser Gulch have now become the LR and GG waterpark, with any number of waterslides and attractions (White Water is a thing of the past.). Geyser Gulch is also the location of the new Adventure Mountain ropes course. The Riverfront Playhouse is updated as a dinner theater. Even the newest ride at SDC gets a makeover in 1960. Tom and Huck's Riverblast is now an enclosed laser tag area. The Giant Swing is a display of modern agricultural techniques.
Fire-in-the-Hole is now a dark ride that simply slowly takes guests through fire, local, and Silver Dollar City history, ending in a walk-through experience. The Opera House is now a movie theater showing classic movies on the big screen (the only place you can see old movies on the big screen). And Powder Keg is now a big chat pile with a track through it that guests can sled down.
Wildfire is now a gas station and drive in restaurant where guests can order from carhops or step inside a great old hamburger joint. The Saloon is now a biker bar (just kidding). American Plunge eventually gets a position here, too, now as a white water rapids ride with a huge plunge at the end. Oh, and grandfather's mansion is rebuilt in its approximate space (to ADA standards), and is now Great, Great, Great Grandfather's Mansion.
Shops can be interspersed strategically as in the 1800s park. The whole thing, as I said, is a condensed version with all kinds of tongue-in-cheek nods to the original. A book will be published called Spot the Differences in which readers can compare pictures of each time period (Volume Two will be a contrast between the real 1960 and the "future" 1960 of SDC.).
Guests to SDC will have free admission to this new section, but will still have to pay to play golf or laser tag, skate, bowl, see a movie, or enter the waterpark. On the other hand, the general public also will have access to shop in the area, but they will be charged for tickets to ride any of the carnival rides, etc. They could also enter SDC on this side, by purchasing a pass and boarding the train to go back in time.
The train will plummet through another time tunnel to get to the current station, at some time playing Huey Louis while going "Back in Time".
Methinks the train will not be enough to accommodate the number of guests wanting to travel back and forth through time, so we may need to think of a barnstorming idea, in which guests can ride ski-lifts to the new area and back, getting a great view along the way.
Naturally, features in this new area would be able to remain open when SDC closes for the evening or for the season.
Rockin' the World (during WorldFest, a way to focus on America's influence on the rest of the world)
Space Cowboys (during the Cowboy Festival, focusing on the space race of the 1950s and 60s)
During Old Time Christmas, the silver foil tree could be erected in the new square and reprogrammed to some of the classic crooners.
I forgot to mention the laser/water show in the "new" Echo Hollow each evening.
That keeps SDC with its current theme, and turns a whole other location into SDC 1960 (to commemorate the time of the original City opening. Of course, every time SDC adds an attraction, a similar attraction must be constructed in the new Bizarro SDC.
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The person that is the "theme officer" has worked at the park for 36+ years. She has a full plate and is constantly going over the park and WILL note what's not to theme, and do something about it,fyi
I guess her plate is too full to do anything about the computer-printed signs, visible soft drink machines, and Dippin' Dots.
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If you look hard enough you will always find something out of theme OR you could just enjoy the park like I do. The signs don't bother me. I honestly do not even notice the soft drink machines until someone points them out. Dippin Dots stands are at least themed and not the generic fair ones you see at most parks.
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I don't mind the drinks and slushes as much as I used to. In fact, I think the new facilities look pretty decent and are presented well enough with the refrigeration et al. They don't bother me as much as the drink coolers at the operator stations in GE. I still think those could be easily hidden.
To keep things in theme, of course, if it is to be the 1880s, Coca Cola should be a nickel! Come on, SDC!
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They tried to bring SDC into the "future" several years ago with the ill-fated "Gaslight Square" experiment. Thankfully, that idea went away quickly.
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From what I heard, Gaslight Square was Jack's idea. It failed badly. Next season, things returned to what they were. Anyone remember "The land of forgotten crafts?" ;)
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Concerning the LoFC, they just didn't go far enough with it, and it was too isolated. Those things still need to be interspersed in the City and not relegated to the boondocks.
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If I remember correctly, wasn't the Land of Forgotten Crafts in front of the waterfall area where the lumberjack dining area is now? I like the concept of the forgotten crafts area. I wish it would come back.
Gaslight Square, however, was horrid. The TV commercials advertising it featured a barbershop quartet. I remember seeing the commercial as a kid and watching my mom almost cry because of what they did to SDC! At the time, I believe that SDC was supposed to be 100 years in the past, and Gaslight Square was supposed to bring the park into the "gay nineties". After the Gaslight Square fiasco, they decided to stick to the 1880's.
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I remeber in the 70s and 80s, it was supposed to be 100 years back. Gaslight square was an attempt to bring it into the 1890s. It just didn't work
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If I remember correctly, wasn't the Land of Forgotten Crafts in front of the waterfall area where the lumberjack dining area is now? I like the concept of the forgotten crafts area. I wish it would come back.
Gaslight Square, however, was horrid. The TV commercials advertising it featured a barbershop quartet. I remember seeing the commercial as a kid and watching my mom almost cry because of what they did to SDC! At the time, I believe that SDC was supposed to be 100 years in the past, and Gaslight Square was supposed to bring the park into the "gay nineties". After the Gaslight Square fiasco, they decided to stick to the 1880's.
Gaslight square and Land Of Forgotten Crafts were both horrid in my book. I remember the TV commercials and they were even bad.
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I don't think either idea was inherently bad.
I will always welcome the old crafts, but the ones they chose were not in any way revenue builders. Some of those things are still in the area, by the way, and you can see them when standing in line to see a show at the Opera House (when they have a show - what happened to the shows?). The coin press, for example, is still sitting there.
Gaslight Square was an idea that could have worked. It would have been cool to see them lighting the gaslights around the square in the evenings, but the idea really seemed to be a scam to feed into the swing dancing fad and the Victorian Age trend of home decor in the 1990s (i.e., an excuse to sell some cheap lace curtains and doilies). Again, it was hardly a revenue builder for a theme park. I think GS would have taken 200% buy-in by the people in charge for the long run, but instead they just did a little bit, stuck a finger in the wind, and caved on the whole process.
At the same time, logistically, keeping the 100-years-in-the-past rule would have been a nightmare. Eventually, automobile travel would have been addressed (with what - a little monorail Tin Lizzy thing?), and powered air travel would be introduced (and that seems to still be an option after seeing the concepts pitched for Fireman's Landing). On one hand, it would have been interesting to watch the transformation of the park, but on the other hand, simply by advancing the technology, we would have lost some of the iconic elements of SDC:
- No baldknobbers
- More advanced mining techniques in the FM
- Wildfire fuel no longer necessary with combustion engines in play
- Stagecoaches? Outdated.
and finally,
- The logo would become a chainsaw resting on a log